MI6 talks to Steve Street about his specialist driving work on "The World Is Not Enough" and life as a stunt man...

Interview - Steve Street (Part 3)
14th September 2003

MI6 had the chance this week to catch up with the 2002 Emmy Winner for Outstanding Stunt Coordination, Steven Street. He has performed as a stuntman and specialist driver, on “Goldeneye”, “Tomorrow Never Dies” and “The World is Not Enough”. In this final part of the three interviews, MI6 chats about his accomplishments and his experience on the sets of the Bond films.

The World is Not Enough

The `blind driver` sequence was notably shorter in the final cut of "The World Is Not Enough" than the work you did for "Tomorrow Never Dies". Was it just as time consuming to prep and shot?
Yes there was a very little sequence there; there were no monitors used in it. I was just sitting on the floor in the front. I did not have any prep time, it was more of a novelty factor as everyone enjoyed the blind driving in the first one ‘Tomorrow Never Dies”, they wanted to do a similar sort of thing to say that it was still there.

'...he is a most valuable asset to any movie which strives for excellence...' - Pierce Brosnan

The set looked very small in the film, did this lead to complications for driving the car? Yes it was a small set but it did not lead to complications because it did not have to do a great deal compared to the car park in "Tomorrow Never Dies".. Where was the sequence filmed and how long did it take from prep to shot? I just came in for the filming at Pinewood studios.

Were there any heart-stopping moments during you time on the Bond films, or did everything go to plan? Everything seemed to go to plan; we had our moments I suppose, though I can’t think of any moments in particular. I suppose when we were rehearsing prepping and going around all these bollards when preparing for "Tomorrow Never Dies" we’d have noted the problems encountered, take it from there, and correct it.

Life As A Stuntman

How do you feel about the advances computer imagery is making into cinema? Do you feel the days of the stunt man are numbered, or will there always be a need to have a man in the midst of the action for real?
I think there will always be a need for a stuntman. But for the crazy outrageous stunts they will be computer generated. They will always be a need for a basic stuntman, I think the computer-generated stuff has gone a little too far for some people and they need some reality.

Vic Armstrong is a legend in the stunt world and the Bond "family". What was it like working with him on the Bond projects?
Vic is a very competent professional man, as you know. It’s always great to learn from someone like Vic.

What has been you favourite film you have worked on, or your favourite stunt you have performed?
I think my favorite film I’ve worked on was actually a war film in Slovakia called “Uprising”. It was an American film, which was made in Slovakia.

Have you seen the latest Bond film "Die Another Day", and if so, how do
you think it compares to the last few?
I’ve seen "Die Another Day" and thought it was OK, the computer-generated stuff had gone a little too far and had made some things a little unbelievable. Whereas you always think some of the things Bond does are a little unbelievable, the computer generated stuff never actually happened.
I came fairly close to working on the DAD in the coordinating role, but it was either that or working on "Terminator 3" in the USA. So I ended up working T3 but hopefully on the next one I’ll have another chance.

Thanks to Steve Street, and hopefully MI6 we will catch up with him again during Bond 21...

MI6 Biography Name: Steve Street Portfolio "GoldenEye" - Specialist Driver "Tomorrow Never Dies" - Specialist Driver "The World Is Not Enough" - Specialist Driver

Related Articles:
Interview: Steve Street (Part 1)
Interview: Steve Street (Part 2)
MI6 "The World is Not Enough" Coverage